Tobacco stemmer



Nov. 10, 1936. R. EQRUND'ELL TOBACCO STEMMER Filed May 5, 193e 5sheets-sheet 1 ATTORNEY Nov. 10, 1936. R. E. RUNDELL TOBACCO STEMMERFiled May 5, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGB INVENTOR 5 CMM TToRN Y p- Nov.10, 1936. R. E. RUNDELL TOBACCO STEMMER Filed May 5, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet3 NOV. 10, 1936. R E RUNDELL 2,060,443

TOBACCO STEMMER Filed May 5, 1956 5- sheets-sheet 4 F'IG,

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Nov. 10, 1936. R. E. RUNDELL TOBACCO STEMMER Filed May 5, 1936 5Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG@ FIGJI l I |l Patented Nov. 10, 1936 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

TOBACCO STEMM'ER Application May 5, 1936, Serial No. 78,045

10 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in tobacco stemming machines ofthe type described in my Patent No. 1,992,773 dated Feb- 26, 1935 andmore particularly to the stemming mechanism thereof, and is a substituteapplication for the application filed September 6, 1934, S. N. 742,989,by me, for a tobacco stemmer.

The main object of this invention is to provide stripping means which donot require to be in synchronism with the leaf carrying mechanism.Another object is to provide means for cutting the stripped stems at aneven length and a device for adjusting said. cutting means while thestemming machine is in operation. With l5 these and other objects notspecifically mentioned in view, the invention consists in certainconstructions and combinations hereinafter fully described and thenspecifically set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification andin which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Figs. 1 and la. are sectional side elevations which when joined at lineA-A, represent a tobacco stemming machine provided with the improvedstripping and cutting means;

Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation of the improved stripping andcutting mechanism;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation showing the drive of the stripping andcutting mechanism and the adjusting device for the latter;

Fig. 4 is a sectional end elevation showing al modified form of theimproved stripping mechv anism;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the adjusting device for theimproved cutting mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the cuting knives in action;

Fig. 7 is a sectional end elevation showing the improved cuttingmechanism provided with old type stripping blades which were used informer machines;

Fig. 8 is a sectional side elevation of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a sectional end elevation showing a modified form of knifeblades used in the irnproved cutting mechanism in combination with theold type stripping blades;

Fig. 10 shows the cutting action of the modified knife blades in adetail side view thereof; and

Fig. 11 is a detail plan view of the modified knife blades.

In carrying the invention into eiect there is provided a pair of rotaryshafts each of which is provided with a set of supporting membersfastened thereon, carded stripping bars movably mounted in said membersin circumferentially spaced relation, means for rotating the shafts in 5opposite directions, mechanism for successivelymoving the cardedstripping bars outwardly on their supporting members to strip a tobaccoleaf drawn between said shafts and then retracting the bars in order togive a series of short, l0 straight, interrupted motions for the purposeof producing closer stripping and less tearing of the leaves, and setsof relatively immovable knives on each shaft, each knife projectingoutwardly between adjacent stripping bars to coact 15 with a knife onthe other shaft to sever at a predetermined length the stem of the leafbeing stripped. In the best constructions contemplated there is providedmeans for adjusting the sets of knives axially on the shafts while thelat- 20 ter are in rotation, whereby the cutting range of the knives maybe Varied during the operation of the stemmer, and the cutting edges ofthe knives on the opposite shafts may be oppositely inclined and beveledor the cutters on one shaft 25 may have the form of female knife bladesand the cutters on the other shaft may have the form of male knifeblades. These various means and parts may be widely varied inconstruction within the scope of the claims for the particular de-3ovice selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possibleconcrete embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to berestricted to the specific construction shown and described.

In the operation of the improved tobacco stemming machine the tobaccoleaves L to be stripped are placed by an operator on a continuouslyrunning conveyor belt IIJ (Fig. la) with their butt ends overhanging thesame. 'Ihe latter is led 40 over pulley I I and a guide roller I2, andis driven continuously from the main drive of the machine. The butt endsof the leaves L are thus moved through a thresher or butt cleaningdevice T-of conventional construction wherein the 45 stem butts arecleaned of laminae by a threshing operation in order that the stems Smay be securely gripped later on by the gripping fingers of the conveyorchain which carries the leaves through the stemming mechanism.

While their butt ends are passing through the butt cleaning mechanism Tthe leaves L are held between conveyor belt Il! and a gripping belt I3,these two belts running in the same direction and at the same speed.Belt I3 is driven 55 and supported by means of pulleys I4 actuated fromthe threshing mechanism,which is driven by means of sprocket I5 andchain I6 from the main drive of the machine. Belt I3 is furthermoreguided by means of rollers I1 pivoted to a bracket I8 attached to thehousing of thresher T. In order to assure that leaves having stems ofvarying thickness will be held rmly between belts I and I3 while passingthrough the butt cleaner T, belt I0 is equipped with a pair of tensionrollers I9 pivoted to arms 20 which are spring mounted on studs 2 I.

After passing the butt cleaning mechanism T the butt ends of the leavesL are gripped between the opposed runs of twisted chain conveyors C andforwarded between gripper fingers G of an endless gripper chain, thegrippers of which are suitably actuated vto seize each in' dividual leafat the cleaned butt end of the stem.

S and carry the leaf between the rotary stripping rolls where theremaining major portion of the leaf is stripped from the stem. Furtherdescription of the twisted chain conveyor C is deemed unnecessary asreference may be had to my copending application cited above for acomplete disclosure of the same.

The improved stripping device (Figs. 1 and 2) consists of two strippingrolls each having a number of carded stripping bars 22 arranged incylindrical formation. Each bar 22 is equipped at its end withsupporting studs 23 and 24 swingably mounted in the cylindrical heads orsupporting members 25 and 26. The latter are keyed to sleeve shafts 21which are supported in parallel relation in bearings of main frame 28.The described stripping rolls have parallel axes and turn in oppositedirections and work in conjunction with one another (Fig. 2) upon theleaves L dr-awn upwardly between them.

The position of the pins 29 of the stripping bars 22 during thestripping operation is controlled by means of cam levers 30 attached tothe supporting studs 23 at one end of bars 22. Each cam lever 30 carriesa cam roller 3| engaging in a cam track 32 of stationary cam 33 attachedto main frame 28. The two stripping rolls can be set so that uponengagement with the leaf the two opposite bars 22 of the two rollsfollow each other as shown inFig. 2 or mesh with one another asillustrated in` Fig. 4. The advantage of using carded stripping barsarranged in cylindrical formation instead of circumferentially spacedblades provided with notches forming a spiral stemway lies in theelimination of the necessity of timing the stripping rolls with the leafconveyor means. To the sleeve shaft 21 of each stripping roll isattached a gear 34 each of which meshes with one of a pair of`intermeshing gears 35. Each gear 35 is loosely mounted on a stud 36hel-d by main frame 28. This complete gear train is driven by means ofpinion 31 (Fig. 3) mounted on the main drive shaft 38 of the machine.

In order to eliminate waste by making use of that part of the stem whichdoes not exceed the thickness of the cross veins of the leaf, thestripping device is equipped with an adjustable cutting mechanism whichcuts the stem S at the desired point. The cutting mechanism consists ofa number of knife blades 39 attached to a star wheel or spider 40slidably supported on eachsleeve shaft 21, the cutting edge of theknives on one shaft being inclined and beveled in one direction and thecutting edge of the knives on the other shaft being oppositely inpositeknife blades 39, one of each stripping roll, register with one another(Fig. 6).

The knife blades 39 may be adjusted axially of the sleeve shafts 21 byturning one of the knobs 44 (Fig. 3) mounted on a shaft 45 whichYcarries gear 46 engaging with r-ack sleeves 41 which are looselymounted on each operating shaft 43 of each stripping unit between ashoulder and a collar of the operating shaft (Fig. 1). As the star wheel40 of each unit is attached by means of key 4I to an adjusting shaft 43,anges 40 can easily be moved axially on their respective sleeve 21,thereby controlling the cutting range of knife blades 39. Thisarrangement of the cutting mechanism has the great advantage ofpermitting the adjustment of the cutting range while the machine is inoperation and assuring that all stems will be cut at an even and desiredlength. In order to facilitate the setting of the cutting range the racksleeve 41 is equipped with an indicator finger 48 projecting through. aslot in housing 50 and movable over a scale 49 attached to the housing.The latter also supports shaft 45 and is mounted on the main frame 28 ofthe machine.

Referring now to Figs. '1 and 8, the just described adjustable cuttingmechanism can also be used in combination with stripping blades of theold type used in my prior Patent No. 1,968,098, granted July 31, 1934.

Referring to Figs. 9, 10, and l1, the sets of straight knife blades 39are replaced by a pair of male knife blades I and a pair of female knifeblades 52, mounted on anges 53 keyed to each of the adjusting shafts 43.The cutting action takes place as two opposite male and female knifeblades 5I and 52 register with one another (Fig.

What is claimed is:

1. In a tobacco stemmer, the combination with a pair of rotary sleeveshafts, each of said sleeve shafts being provided with a set ofsupporting members fastened thereon, of carded stripping bars movablymounted in said members in circumferentially spaced relation, means forrotating said sleeve shafts in opposite directions, mechanism forsuccessively moving the carded stripping bars outwardly on theirsupporting members to strip a tobacco leaf, drawn between said sleeveshafts and then retracting said bars, sets of knives splined on each ofsaid sleeve shafts, each knife projecting outwardly between adjacentstripping bars to coact with a knife on the other sleeve shaft to severat a predetermined length the stem of the leaf being stripped, and meansfor adjusting the sets of knives axially on their sleeve shafts whilethe latter are in rotation, whereby the cutting range of the knives maybe varied during the operation of the stemmer.

2. In a tobacco stemmer, the combination with a pair of rotary sleeveshafts', each of said sleeve shafts being provided with a set ofsupporting members fastened thereon, of carded stripping bars movablymounted in said members in circumferentially spaced relation, means forrotating said sleeve shafts in opposite directions, mechanism forsuccessively moving the carded stripping bars outwardly on theirsupporting members to strip a tobacco leaf, drawing between said sleeveshafts and then retracting said bars, sets of knives splined on each ofsaid sleeve shafts, each knife projecting outwardly between adjacentstripping bars to coact with a knife on the other sleeve shaft to severat a predetermined length the stem of the leaf being stripped, and meansfor adjusting the sets of knives axially on their sleeve shafts whilethe latter are in rotation, whereby the cutting range of the knives maybe varied during the operation of the stemmer, said adjusting meansincluding an adjusting shaft slidably mounted in each sleeve shaft andconnected to the set of knives on the same.

3. In a tobacco stemmer, the combination with a pair of rotary shafts,each of said shafts being provided with a set of wheels fastenedthereon, of stripping members movably mounted in said wheels incircumferentially spaced relation, means for rotating said shafts inopposite directions, mechanism for successively swinging the strippingmembers outwardly on their wheels to strip a tobacco leaf drawn betweensaid shafts l and then retracting said bars, sets of knives splined oneach of said shafts, each knife projecting outwardly between adjacentstripping members to coact with a knife on the other shaft to sever at apredetermined length the stem of the leaf being stripped, and means foradjusting the sets of knives axially on their shafts while the latterare in rotation, whereby the cutting range of the knives may be variedduring the operation of the stemmer.

4. In a tobacco stemmer, the combination with a pair of rotary shafts,each of said shafts being provided with a set of wheels fastenedthereon, of stripping members movably mounted in said wheels incircumferentiallly spaced relation, means for rotating said shafts inopposite directions, mechanism for successively swinging the strippingmembers outwardly on their wheels to strip a tobacco leaf drawn betweensaid shafts and then retracting said bars, sets of knives secured oneach of said shafts, each knife projecting outwardly between adjacentstripping members to coact with a knife on the other shaft to sever at apredetermined length the stem of the leaf being stripped, and axiallymovable means for adjusting the sets of knives axially on their shaftswhile the latter are in rotation, whereby the cutting range of theknives may be varied during the operation of the stemmer, the cuttingedge of the knives on one shaft being inclined and beveled in onedirection and the cutting edge of the knives on the other shaft beingoppositely inclined and beveled.

5. In a tobacco stemmer, the combination with a pair of rotary shafts,each of said shafts being provided with a set of wheels fastenedthereon, of stripping members movably mounted in said wheels incircumferentially spaced relation, means for rotating said shafts inopposite directions, mechanism for successively swinging the strippingmembers outwardly on their wheels to strip a tobacco leaf drawn betweensaid shafts and then retracting said bars, sets of knives slidablymounted on each of said shafts, each knife projecting outwardly betweenadjacent stripping members to coact with a knife on the other shaft tocut oif at a predetermined length the stem of the leaf being stripped,and rectilinearly movable means for adjusting the sets of knives axiallyon their shafts while the latter are in rotation, whereby the cuttingrange of the knives may be varied during the operation of the stemmer,the cutters on one shaft having the form of female knife blades and thecutters on the other shaft having the form of male knife blades.

6. In a tobacco stemmer, the combination with a pair of rotary shafts,of stripping means, mechanism carried by each of said shafts forsupporting said stripping means, means for rotating said shafts inopposite directions to strip a. tobacco leaf located between them,devices for drawing leaves between said shafts, a knife carried by eachof said shafts, one positioned to coact with the knife on the othershaft to sever the stem of the leaf at a predetermined point during itstravel between said shafts, and means mounting at least one of saidknives foradjustment along its shaft to vary the cutting position saidmounting means including knife carrying elements separate from saidsupporting mechanism in direct sliding engagement with said shaft foradjusting the knife therealong independently of said stripping means.

7. In a tob-acco stemmer, the combination with a pair of rotary shafts,of stripping means carried by each of said shafts, means for rotatingsaid shafts in opposite directions to stripA a tobacco leaf locatedbetween them, devices for drawing leaves between said shafts, a knifecarried by each of said shafts, one positioned to coact with the knifeon the other shaft to sever the stem of the leaf at a predeterminedpoint during its travel between said shafts, and means for adjustingsaid knives longitudinally of said shafts during the operation of thestemmer.

8. In a tobacco stemmer, thel combination with a pair of rotary shafts,of stripping means carried by each of said shafts, means for rotatingsaid shafts in opposite directions to strip a tobacco leaf locatedbetween them, devices for drawing leaves between said shafts, a knifecarried by each of said shafts, one positioned to coact with the knifeon the other shaft to sever the stem of the leaf at a predeterminedpoint during its travel between said shafts, and interconnected meansfor simultaneously and equally adjusting the knives on both shafts.

9. In a tobacco stemmer, the combination with a pair of rotary shafts,of stripping means carried by each of said shafts, means for rotatingsaid shafts in opposite directions to strip a tob-acco leaf locatedbetween them, devices for drawing leaves between said shafts, and aknife on each of said shafts, one positioned to coact with the knife onthe other shaft to sever the stem of the leaf at a predetermined pointduring its travel between said shafts, and means for adjusting at leastone of said knives on said shaft during the operation of the stemmer,comprising a member extending along said shafts from an intermediateportion thereof to beyond the stripping means, and movable parallel tothe length of said shafts, and connections between said member and saidknife permitting rotation of the knife on said shaft relative to themember, for moving the knife longitudinally of the shaft on movement ofsaid member.

10. In a stemming machine, the combination with a pair of approximatelyparallel rotating stemming rolls each provided with stripping saidknives comprising spiders surrounding the axes of said rolls, a seriesof knives on said spiders with the knives on one spider arranged forshearing action relative to those on the other,

and means for adjusting said spiders axially of 5 the rolls and relativeto said stripping means.

RUPERT E. RUNDELL.

